Today’s Warm Hands pattern is a super-cosy pair of mittens knitted in our aran-weight Àrd-Thìr – Heartland Marsh. These beautiful stranded mittens, worked at a dense gauge that’s sure to warm your hands right through the depths of winter, are the work of talented young designer and podcaster Safiyyah Talley.
(Safiyyah in her design, the Beau Pulli)
Safiyyah’s a city girl who has made her home in rural Indiana, where she’s the proud mum of brand new baby, Beau. Here she is to tell you more about her work.
“I’m a full time knitwear designer but I am also a new mom to a 2 month old so my day usually starts at 4:30am. In the mornings, I do all of my “computer work” while I take care of Beau. From afternoon to early evening, I switch over to the hands on stuff which includes filming my podcast, knitting, photography, etc. Knitting is my main creative activity, but when I get the chance, I like to paint, write, and do acoustic jam sessions with my husband for baby Beau.”
“I’m a New Yorker, so it was a complete change for me to move here to Indiana – to this small community that is much more like a homestead than a town.”
“My new rural lifestyle was very eye-opening for me and so different from city life – things here are utilitarian, minimalistic – I find I am continually inspired by my quaint new life as a country girl.”
“My new surroundings quickly found their way into my knitting – including the mittens I’ve created for Warm Hands
“I really wanted to make something that I could wear on our hikes through the marshes and woods. The design had to be really warm, hard wearing and simple.”
“Though the design is pretty straightforward, the process took some time. I created a few charts before I settled on one that seemed right, and then knitted several mitten samples – I think there were four in the end. I swear its always the simplest designs that I tend to obsess over!”
“The finished mittens have a deep ribbed cuff, a super-cosy stranded palm, some interesting bands of texture, contrasting blocks of colour and a striped thumb. I’m pleased with how they turned out.”
“Beautifully rustic, and completely functional: this design reflects the landscape of my Indiana home.”
Thankyou, Safiyyah, for contributing this wonderfully cosy pattern to Warm Hands.
And shout-out to Fenella and Jane, Glasgow’s top mitten models.
Links
Warm Hands book
Heartland Marsh pattern on Ravelry
Heartland Marsh yarn pack
Safiyyah’s Ravelry Store
Safiyyah’s You Tube channel
KDD & Co 
Congratulations Saffiyah! What a beautiful pattern.
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So great to see a mitten worked in a heavy, dense fabric that is also a beauty to behold. Having lived in the far north, I’ve put many hand-knit mittens aside because their gauge simply didn’t block the wind and cold. Congratulations to Saffiyah for addressing this problem with such style! (And lucky Beau, who will no doubt get to model all kinds of gorgeous creations before long.)
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I love the thumbs on these; they really complement the overall design. This is shaping up into a terrific collection.
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Yes, congratulations to Saffiyah and Beau. I love the ‘tree’ pattern and the ridges really add to the design. Glad your models love mittens also!
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That baby…! Congratulations to Saffiyah and her family on beautiful baby Beau (he is well named) and to Saffiyah for this fun pattern. Thanks again, KDD, for finding irresistible patterns.
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